“When the dust settled, Apple surprised even optimistic analysts by announcing a record-setting 78 million units in iPhone sales,” Yoni Heisler reports for BGR. “In what’s become something of a routine, every time analysts and pundits come out and predict Apple’s demise, the company will inevitably set new records for both iPhone sales and overall quarterly revenue.”

“What’s particularly noteworthy about the iPhone 7’s performance last quarter is that no one really seemed to care that the device shipped without a headphone jack,” Heisler reports. “”

“Apple’s decision to remove the tried and true 3.5mm headphone jack was met with widespread ridicule this past September. Many were quick to characterize Apple’s design choice as arrogant and proof positive that the company was out of touch with its ever-growing user base. Others, meanwhile, took the strong position that Apple was making a huge mistake and that iPhone 7 sales would experience a significant dip,” Heisler reports. “Not only did users flock to the iPhone 7 in record numbers, but more users opted for Apple’s pricier Plus model than ever before. During Apple’s earnings conference call yesterday, Cook said that the iPhone 7 Plus is the most popular Plus model Apple has ever released.”

Try the song mdr-X1000 or mdr-780DC, excellent sound with wireless. Also the jaybirds are very nice, and wired lightning headphones like mdr-10’s i have do sound significantly better than their 3.5mm counterparts. There’s no need to bash without trying it.

I’ve tried the best of the best wireless headphones that cost $500 or more, and in some cases they are very good, but then you plug the same headphone in with wires and realise you were missing something.

I’m sure most smartphone manufacturers will dump the 3.5mm headphone jack within the next year or so. Most will be happy to get rid of that extra and bulky hardware internally. Apple is just slightly ahead of the curve in this respect. You have to realize that time marches forward and there’s no major reason to cling to the past as new generations of buyers come along. It’s out with the old and in with the new. Get with the times or get left behind. Your choice.

People cared. It didn’t hurt sales but it hurt customers. Many of us were willing to accept the disadvantage of not having a headphone jack because of the other benefits of the phone. I’m still pissed about it though… Buying 5 lightning to 3.5 adapters was a bit annoying

Lost the first adapter, had to buy a replacement at the airport to be able to use my etymotics (my travel headphones). Got tired of having to carry the adapter around with me after forgetting several times and not being able to use my office headphones so I bought a second adapter. After a few weeks of being annoyed with this process I decided to buy an adapter for each pair of headphones that I regularly use.

Kenzo,
Some people don’t get it. They just have a one track mind. I do the same with power adapters/cords for my MBAir and iPhone – cords for home, for the car and for the office. I am in need of a second and third jack adapter also for my 7 Plus.

It fascinates me when a comment like this gets so many negative votes. I just admitted to purchasing 6 apple devices (including the phone) to solve my problem, but because I don’t fit into the very narrow use-case of being happy with a single adapter.. down-votes. I, like many other audiophiles and apple product lovers, have several pair of headphones for different uses. I use Sony MDR-10RBT bluetooth headphones for most of my casual listening. They are obviously wireless so the lack of a headphone jack doesn’t cause any problems there. I use klipsch-ones for my work phone calls (headphone jack required). I use etymotics for flying (blocks out all the baby cries). I use Ultrasone Pro 750s for serious listening and music production. With so much money invested in headphones, removing the jack ACTUALLY CAUSED A PROBLEM for people like me. I don’t know why this fact is seen so negatively in the mac community. It seems like we are growing more close-minded. Oh well.

Actually, no. He is right. The crowd here is growing more close-minded.

I don’t have the iPhone 7, but with my 6S, I have so far only been using the stock earphones that came with my phone. During the winter time, I use my bluetooth wool hat and/or bluetooth gloves, but the only wired headphones I had ever connected to any of my iPhones (started with 5) was the bundled pair, so for me, iPhone 7 would bring zero hassle.

However, that doesn’t prevent me from completely understanding people who have invested money into headphones (100s of dollars), and who aren’t quite enjoying the hassle of the adapter(s). And within the context of Apple’s zero-effort, seamless, user-friendly, intuitive ecosystem, where all causes for friction between the user and the device are carefully evaluated and eliminated, having to deal with the adapters is a hassle. And complaining about that hassle is NOT whining; it is a legitimate grievance.

Having said that, I understand Apple and their business decision; they figured that vast majority of their users are more-or-less like me when it comes to headphones (using the bundled pair, or bluetooth devices), so they simply went ahead with their plan and left behind those few who spent a lot of money for headphones they can no longer directly plug into their new phone.

Well…. I am going to assume that Kenzo here is an Apple fan (like practically all of us who post here). He likely bought his iPhone 7 to replace an old model. According to his first post, he made decision weighing other benefits, and the compromise was in the end worth making.

That doesn’t prohibit him from expressing his opinion about the hassle. Let us not forget, in his original message, all he said was that having to buy multiple adapters was a bit annoying. There was no whining tirade over the greedy Apple who forced adapters down everyone’s throat (and we’ve seen plenty of those over the past months).

Kenzo here made an effort (over two increasingly longer messages) to clearly explain his own use-case scenario, in which it is obvious that juggling these adapters brought an additional level of hassle. In neither of them did he predict the downfall of the civilization due to the purportedly boneheaded and greedy move by Apple to rip their customers off by selling these outrageously expensive $9 adapters, etc, etc… All I saw was “a bit annoying”.

He was being sarcastic. However, I’m sure there are plenty of greedy big investors who wished/hoped Apple could sell that many iPhones in a holiday quarter. That 93 million number would definitely have shut up the anti-Apple, doom-and-gloom crowd for a few days, at least.

It makes me exercise more. I keep gong to bed without that stupid adapter and then having to get up go find it… and by that time I’m wide awake so I play with the dog. Apple Social Engineering at its best.

A few goofballs dissed the touch bar simply because Apple’s intro video had the temerity of showing emojis. (Oh stupid emojis aren’t for us professionals so why would we want a touch bar… que roll eyes). But anyone with any sense would have quickly recognized that the touch bar was going to be an incredible boon to developers and a great compliment to the UI work flow experience. Others lamented the address space limitation that was actually Intel’s problem because they had not yet come out with a low power version with greater address space.

But really the new MacBook was a solid machine from the start. We all just with a new Mac Pro had come out as well.

They got rid of it when they figured out they thing was on the down slope.

On this, they know what they were doing… And, for the never-ever-satisfied-customer, they included an adapter and lightning headphones. Oh, they also created these airpods : best of its category and the cheapest on the market.

Apple plays the long game and always has. Long-time fans know this: Apple does not tie itself to legacy anything — hardware or software. If/when Apple sees a benefit of moving their technology onward, they will do so and never look back. It is a cost-benefit analysis: if future benefits are calculated to exceed current costs (including the discomfort of change for some), Apple will make the change. This is how Apple rolls.

Longtime Apple fans may need to remember this. And newer Apple fans need to learn it, perhaps for the first time. And everyone can stop their whining, please! Many of us want change …until something is changed. It is the price we (at least, fast adapters) pay to be on the cutting edge of technology. Yet the discomfort is only temporary, while the benefits are long term, and probably also multi-factorial.

So to all those who hate the disappearance of the earphone jack: Be Brave! This, too, shall pass…